Re: [AD] OSS4

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On 2008-08-26, Thomas Fjellstrom <tfjellstrom@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Ok, I'll buy that. but what about people then using Allegro? They then have to 
> adopt a gpl license, which isn't something we currently force. The GPL crosses 
> library/app boundaries.

You mean, if we simply support an OSS backend, programs which use
Allegro would need to be covered under a GPL-compatible licence?

I don't think so.  First, assume we don't distribute the OSS header
file.  We won't.  Second, Elias pointed out that targeting the OSS API
won't impose any additional restrictions.  So in this case, it's clear.


But let's imagine it wasn't so clear.  Let library Foo target an
interface BarInt, with multiple implementations BarBSD, BarGPL,
BarProprietary.  The Foo source does not copy any code from Bar*.
But the Foo binary *might* be built from BarGPL header files, if the
user wishes.  In that case, linking with the Foo binary would
require GPL compliance -- call that binary FooGPL.  If you distribute
FooGPL you must make the source of Foo available.

Now a program Quux comes along and targets Foo.  Does the fact that that
Quux *might* link with FooGPL *automatically* require Quux to be GPL
compatible?  That makes no sense.

Consider if BarGPL didn't exist, only BarBSD and BarProprietary exist.
A program Quux comes along and targets BarBSD and BarProprietary.  Now
someone forks BarBSD and creates BarGPL.  Does that automatically make
Quux and Foo derived from BarGPL?  Clearly not.

Now, this argument doesn't hold if only BarGPL exists.  In that case,
Foo must be derived from BarGPL, and therefore so is Quux.

Anyhow, that's how I see it. IANAL.


Back to OSS. The situation would be even clearer if we target OSS 3.
OSS 3 header files are distributed with many operating systems.  Section
3 of the GPL has a special exception for "anything that is normally
distributed (in either source or binary form) with the major components
(compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system".

Peter





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